Eighth Norman Lloyd Scholar report is in!

Martim Gouveia Pereira (pictured below), the eighth recipient of a Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University has completed the first year of his MCheM degree in Chemistry at the university and he has submitted an end of year report. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student in the Cardiff School of Chemistry who is of high academic standing and resident in Wales. The ninth recipient of the Scholarship at Cardiff has also just been announced.

What degree are you undertaking and why did you choose the course here?

I am studying BSc Chemistry at Cardiff University. I chose this course due to the excellent reputation of the university, the lecture and laboratory facilities and the opportunities that would be afforded to me once I have completed my degree.

What is the best thing about studying at Cardiff and how have you found your experience so far?

The best thing about studying at Cardiff was being able to leave the sixth form bubble. In high school, you are exposed to people living in the same part of town. In college, you are exposed to students from around the city. In university, you have the chance to meet other students from around the country and even abroad! I have had the most fantastic time at university, and I am certain that I am now ready for the next steps after graduation.

Do you have a career in mind after you graduate/what are your plans after you graduate?

After graduation, I will be reading Medicine at the University of Oxford. My goal is to pursue a career in Medicine and Education.

Achievements/what you enjoyed most and what have you found most challenging?

The transition from post-lockdown Year 13 to university proved to be difficult at first. I needed to develop healthy, yet effective study habits lost during lockdown and university has enabled me to achieve this. I have also been able to attend enrichment conferences in London which helped me to network with much more experienced professionals from all around the country.

Do you do anything extracurricular in your spare time/alongside your degree?

I tried many societies out during my degree ranging from sports, politics, debating, to religious societies. I was also able to try new sports out and broaden my horizons! I am also attempting to scale up both my business and my outreach work to the whole country.

What difference has this scholarship made to you? Has it enabled you to achieve anything that you would not have been able to before?

This scholarship was an opportunity that allowed me grow academically and as an individual. I have used the scholarship to invest in my soft skills which has led me to being shortlisted by Oxford Medical School to read Medicine in 2024. I have also contributed to widening access initiatives by running workshops which help students to polish their university applications. In addition to this, I have been able to spend more time studying for my degree as I was fortunate enough to not need to get a part-time job during my studies which I could not be more grateful for.

If you could say something to the donor who gave you this gift, what would it be?

I want to thank the donor for their generosity. It is so rewarding to be acknowledged for our hard work. The impact of the scholarship will be everlasting. When I started my course, I was less mature and had many goals. I can say that I look forward confidently and that being a scholar has played a major role in my achievements. I wish the donor a Merry Christmas and I would like to thank them for allowing students living in Wales to invest in their future and making the world a better place. I am proud to say that I have contributed to improving social mobility in this country and said volunteering work was done thanks to this scholarship.

We wish Martim every success for the future!

The scholarship

The Norman Lloyd scholarship was set up by RSC Belgium in collaboration with Norman’s family and Cardiff University in memory of our old friend and supporter Norman Lloyd. Norman was himself a student at an institution that is now part of the university. The funds raised provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, usually in their first year of study, at the Cardiff School of Chemistry.

RSC Belgium 2016 AGM report

The section's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Dinner took place at Les Amis Dinent restaurant in Wezembeek-Oppem on the evening of Friday 15 January 2016. The meeting opened at 19:35 with 10 members and 1 co-opted committee member. In addition sixteen members who were unable to attend the AGM had asked the Chairman to act as their proxy for the meeting if a vote was required. This enabled a working quorum for the meeting to be obtained under our section rules.

Following approval of the minutes of the previous AGM that took place on 16 January 2015 section Secretary Becki Scott presented the Committee Report on the Section’s 2015 Activities.

2015 Highlights 
During the year the section organised five public events, two Saturday social excursions, and a visit from the RSC's CEO: Robert Parker. Total section membership stood at 132 – a net increase of six over the year.

Among highlights of the year were the Café Chimique on Climate Change, Prof Avril MacDonald’s series of demonstration lectures for schools and the public in February, a lively demonstration lecture by Prof Sir John Holman and two guided tours: one of the Waterloo Battlefield in May and the other of the WWI front lines in September. The 2015 Chemistry Challenge competition had attracted increased participation with the prizes given out at Peter Atkins’ event in October.

Feedback had been received from Cardiff University that Ms Dale Lyons (the first recipient of our Norman Lloyd scholarship) had performed exceptionally well in her first year and the next recipient had been selected: Rhodri Evans.

Financial aspects
Rita Woodward presented the 2015 financial report and accounts. In general, 2015 had been a good year for schools events. The section made a net deficit of just over 1200 euros with a remaining balance of c. 6000 euros. The committee aims to keep the account at around 7000 euros due to Belgian regulations meaning that the section officers are responsible for any deficit. A future grant of 9000 euros will be requested from HQ. The accounts had been signed off by the auditor Ralph Palim. Ralph had also a greed to continue as auditor for the section.

Our Chairman, Tim Reynolds, thanked the committee for their hard work and support during the year. He highlighted the “Fantastic Plastic” events that had been taken to the schools, rather than all the schools visiting a set location. This had proven extremely successful and was something the section is hoping to repeat with Andrew Hanson’s “Colour is Fun” events in March 2016. The Chairman thanked Ian Carson for his input, hard work, and organisation with these events. Ian also thanked UCL, Fabio, and BSB for their help with the chemicals etc used in the “Fantastic Plastic” talks. Tim went on to report that John Holman’s talk had also proved to be a very popular event. He also acknowledged that the section had a disappointing end to the year, with the cancellation of two events due to the security situation in Brussels. He went on to say that a good programme was coming together for 2016 and he thanked all members for their continued support of the section.

Election
Following elections the RSC Belgium Executive Committee for 2016 has the following membership: Mr Tim Reynolds (Chairman), Mrs Rita Woodward (Treasurer), Dr Becki Scott (Secretary), Prof Bob Crichton (elected committee member), Prof Brian Sutcliffe (elected committee member), Dr David Terrell (elected committee member), Mr John Swift (elected committee member, and Dr Ian Carson (elected committee member).

The first meeting of the new Executive will be on 17 February 2016 where co-opted members will be confirmed.

International issues
Bob Crichton brought to the attention of members the proposed regulations of the RSC's Outreach Working Group (OWG) which will affect the way international sections operate. Prof David Evans of the Beijing section who sits on the OWG had approached the Belgium section committee for their opinion and feedback on the proposed regulation changes. The section felt that the move to restrict the amount of the budget spent on outreach to 50% could be very limiting to the range of activities which we undertook. The discussions at the OWG indicated that all local section representatives were opposed to the changes. It is felt that these changes will undermine the work of the individual sections. We have also been asked to clarify the numbers of members and non-members attending events. This is a worrying precedent because many of our events have a large non-member attendance. Many local sections rely on the support of volunteers.

Tim, as the Chair of the International Steering Group, will communicate directly with HQ and the networks over this issue.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 19:58. The AGM was followed by the 2016 Annual Dinner (see above) of the RSC Belgium section.